Please Make Sure Your Skimmer is Koi Safe

[Moneypit]

I think her tail will allways be messed up, but everything else should heal ok, as for looks, looks are not everthing.

[FishOCD]

Do you think koi 'learn'? Is it possible she will remember the pain from the skimmer and stay clear in the future? Hope your fish recovers.

I have a big Laguna skimmer filter which comes with a bouncing, clacking ugly salmon-colored baffle in the salmon interior. I couldn't understand what the Hagen designers were thinking with that hideous color, and wondered if the bright color was to make koi think it is the maw of a larger fish. But when I removed the baffle, I had two koi who liked to hang out in the large skimmer and eat food from the matala or turn facing out and let the food float right into their mouths (the pump was undersized so there was no trouble for them to swim in and out at will).

This summer, however, there will be a new pump 4x as strong so the baffle is going back in. (The pond redo now has the skimmer opening facing away from the deck so I don't have to look at the nasty thing.) I kinda like the idea of wedging a cross bar or two of PVC in the opening, though, as the baffle is noisy.

[Moneypit]

Just thought I would give an update, I caught her today and she got her second dose of Baytril and some Debride on her tail wound, she is looking a little better.

[GazKoi]

Hi Guys,

Well when i was building my pond i also thought about the same thing so i cut a piece of filter grid and put it on the inside of the skimmer so the fish could not bum into it or catch themselves and of course not chase food into the skimmer.

Hope the pictures help and happy holidays

http://www.koipix.com/gallery/albums...l_113_1357.jpg

[Steve Nguyen]

would this blocking the leaves out as well? kinda defeat the purpose of skimming. well, I guess it helps with bubbles and other smaller debris.

Steve

Quote: Originally Posted by GazKoi Hi Guys, Well when i was building my pond i also thought about the same thing so i cut a piece of filter grid and put it on the inside of the skimmer so the fish could not bum into it or catch themselves and of course not chase food into the skimmer. Hope the pictures help and happy holidays http://www.koipix.com/gallery/albums...l_113_1357.jpg

[GazKoi]

Hi Steve,

Works great and has done for years some bigger leaves can get stuck but you just pull them out its easy

[Lee]

Dear All,

First of all, I am sorry to read/see of the 'hurt' koi. Obviously, I hope she/he heals quickly and completely.

Secondly. I believe a skimmer is an essential requirement for every pond. And, they need not be a menace....

I installed a simple pipe grill which in appearance is much like 'HORIZONTAL' prison bars across the face of all four of my skimmers....

I permanently installed the pvc bars - screwing them into the side walls with stainless screws.. The other three skimmers, I made to measure the opening and then snapped onto both ends some left over rubber (much like boots) that allows me to slide slid the bars upward or downward within the skimmer opening - depending upon the height of the pond water.

The objective of both installations is that they prohibit the fish from any injury as they effectively prohibit the fish from getting their nose into the skimmer area...

Nonetheless, they freely allow the pond water to flow into the skimmer and the surface materials to be sucked away...

I also 'always' keep an 'aquarium type fish net' over the open end of each of the return pipes on all four skimmers as this makes my having to clean the skimmer easier.

It does require my having to shake or wash off the face of the net once or twice every day...as they snag a lot of leaves, fish waste, pellets and so forth which otherwise would be sucked into the filter.

However, nothing other than surface water get's through the fish safe horizontal pvc bars and for certain nothing unwanted other than surface water get's through the fish nets...

In making the horizontal bars I simply cut to size some used some left over unused electrical pipe...as it is more flexible than plumbing pvc.

All the best,

Lee Aronfeld

[bone]

Can you show a picture of your covers lee?

Daniel

[Lee]

Dear Daniel,

My wife Sheila knows how to download the photos from my camera. However, I don't have a clue.

Nonetheless, what I have made is quite simple.

Whilst I doubt you have ever been in jail I'd bet you know what the cell doors look like with the iron bars, yes?

What I have installed (I only required two bars to close off the entry) is the same as a cell door; except rather than the bars being installed vertically so that the prisoner doesn't escape...my two plastic "bars" are installed horizontally (across the face of the opening) of the skimmer so that the fish cannot get in...

It's quite simple...as it looks just like the following:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

[luke frisbee]

Aaron
we agree, but i have always thought one bar will do as the skimmer opening is only five inches high and a bar near the middle is only going to allow the koi less than 2 inches tall into the Skimmer. And koi that small can swim around in the skimmer